Spiritual Krav Maga (part 2) the adventure continues …

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. (2 Cor 10:3-4)

We live in two realms, two dimensions: the spiritual and the material. So, to live an effective life, both aspects must be addressed. The spiritual contains the real power, but the natural is the trigger to release it. The two must work in harmony. Action – Impact. Trigger – Power. This is the same principle as Faith-Works: without the works, the faith is “dead”, unreleased, and therefore no result is ever realized.

So, in real life, we must seek to act on triggers to release or activate God’s power to generate the results.

What is the trigger for any given situation? It can be discovered by answering the basic question of “what is in your hand?” This is a biblical principle. When God commissioned Moses with the impossible task of freeing the Israelites from the most powerful empire in the world, Moses balked. And God asked Moses: “What is in your hand?” (Exo 4:2-3) That simple staff was the key to confronting Pharaoh, unleashing 10 plagues, parting the Red Sea, and winning battles. And we are instructed,“whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecc 9:10). When Moses looked at what he had, all he saw was a stick. God saw a tool he would use to unleash the miraculous. It is also a key of Krav Maga: use whatever is available as a weapon.

How does this apply in reality? Two examples from my own life:
1. Financial. I’ve been working the same job for nearly 6 years now. And I’ve been diligent and productive — I’ve done it “with all my might,” you might say. In other words, I strive to be a valuable asset to my employer. And I wanted a raise. We don’t get annual cost of living adjustments, but every couple of years the company will do evaluations and give us some token of appreciation — usually in the low single digits. I wanted more, and honestly thought I’d earned more. I prayed quite a bit about it, not wanting to get caught up in discontentment or bad attitude, and making sure I wasn’t just being greedy. I waited till I had some inner “go ahead” from God. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not the most outgoing or aggressive person around. I’d make a lousy salesman. But I knew I had to force myself past timidity. And I scheduled a lunch with my boss to discuss my situation. That lunch turned into an 8 hour meeting, and I walked out victorious. I got a double-digit percent increase. (By the way, this was the second time this has happened in recent years, applying the exact same strategy but at different jobs: diligent work to prove my value, prayerful preparation, then respectful but assertive confrontation. And the results were identical.)

2. Health (my current battle). Got a cold. Yeah, sure, a petty thing. But it can make me miserable and cause me to miss work. Two fronts: I’m quoting scripture to myself whenever I think about it: “he took my infirmities and bore my diseases, and by his stripes I am healed”, “I will drive sickness out from among you”, “no plague shall come near your dwelling”, “behold I give you power … and nothing shall by any means hurt you”, etc. Whatever Word from God that seems relevant, I’m speaking to myself and my sickness. That’s the spiritual. On the physical side, I’m getting rest, not overexerting myself, and I’m taking vitamins aggressively (not your once-a-day half-hearted approach). Okay, gotta admit, it’s still dragging on. Going on day 5 now. But my symptoms are light — noticeably lighter than in the past — and I haven’t needed to take cold meds to get through the day. I barely need to blow my nose, no sinus pressure, only mild congestion, no cough, no achiness. Not the miraculous results I’d hoped, but definite improvement none the less. And I’m not giving up. Persistence till I win. “Krav Maga!”

2 Replies to “Spiritual Krav Maga (part 2) the adventure continues …”

Sorry, I’m behind in reading your articles. They are so thought provoking, it takes time for me to digest them, bit by bit.
I am especially blessed by your thoughts about living in both worlds. We, as Christians, so often forget that. We try to use only one type of weapon to fight a fight that’s coming from two worlds! God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” And so He is asking us the same question today. We must be alert to what the Holy Spirit is directing us to do and what weapons He has placed in our hands! Thank you for the thought. I pray I’ll be reminded again and again. On the one hand I don’t want to be so heavenly minded that I’m no earthly good. But on the other, I don’t want to use carnal weapons to fight spiritual battles. Only the Holy Spirit can show us what to use and when. Thanks, Stephen!

I’m loving this. It’s got me seeing that a strength needs a trigger to engage something. I’ve got weapons and none are going off. Nothing’s moving. So it seems. Thanks for the inspiration. Love the image too. Glad to hear about your work situation. Mine is going to be changing. Onward. Upward. Raaarh.